During the past several years of teaching, I have had the opportunity to encounter all sorts of people. In particular, I’ve met three very evil people: two women and one man. How do you recognize them?

By their actions: They are out to hurt others. In particular, they are most persuasive in making up excuses to justify their destructive behavior. The most deplorable aspect is that they feel no remorse at all!

How should we deal with them?

We should do nothing. Within Buddhism, the Buddha has already taught us monks how to deal with “evil Bhikshus”: Simply ignore, do not talk to them. Leave them alone; they will leave by themselves.

Can you see the wisdom in the Buddha’s advice?

Evil people are very destructive. Just stay away from them and they will eventually destroy themselves without our help.​Consequently, monks who rally others to “evict and punish” bad elements of society should reconsider their actions. Such behavior is deplorable because they go against the Buddha’s teaching and damage our compassionate nature.